Head Snowboards 2024/25 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Snowboards FW24/25 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Head
Interviewee: Katharina Acham, Operative Marketing Manager

How would you describe the current state of the snowboard market? What big developments, changes, challenges, and/or opportunities are you seeing and how is your brand navigating them?

One big key trend in the snowboard market – or rather in all industries – is sustainability. This trend leads to necessary changes but also opportunities and challenges of course, as existing processes and products need to be rethought, developed, and improved and still the products need to stay attractive in price for customers who are challenged with increasing costs and prices anyway.

We at HEAD call it Rethink and we address sustainability in every decision we make and keep improving year by year.

Following overall price increase, any positive developments with regards to manufacturing, sourcing, or logistics and the changes you’ve made? Are there any examples you can share of how your business pivoted effectively? What developments are you seeing with regards to product pricing?

We did not make any significant changes in terms of manufacturing or sourcing processes. In general, we still see pretty much a V-shaped recovery in the main markets in Europe, and extremely strong results in overseas regions like Japan and the US, where we have again the strongest results ever. Therefore we see no need to pivot our business model.

Is e-commerce sales still strong since most brands have been put a lot of effort in physical retail?

Generally speaking though, stationary retail is the backbone of our business, offering products online is needed and requested from a consumer perspective, but the main business remains stationary so far, therefore will be supported with all means. We maintain transparent communication with our dealers regarding our e-commerce plans.

After last winter and the lack of snow in Europe, what’s your overall sales and production/inventory strategy for 24/25?

The warehouses were empty after winter season 22/23 and we were facing high order volumes for season 23/24. We are doing our best now to get all the goods into the stores in time. We are looking ahead to season 24/25 with confidence as the orders are high again and we will start the season with a great and strong product mix developed in close coordination with our business partners.

SNOWBOARD SPECIFIC

What trends or developments are you seeing with regards to board construction, shapes, and general innovation? How is this shaping your 24/25 range?

We see the trend to classic camber boards is coming back within the last few years. For this reason, we added a new model – called INCITE LYT – to our all-mountain segment for season 24/25. This lightweight board, achieved through the use of Hexagonal inserts and Graphene in the board’s tip and tail, is made for riders who demand great edge control and pop making it suitable for park riding but also are looking for a board that has its benefits on the piste for slow carving or ground trickery.

Anything new concerning sustainability and related product or construction you would like to highlight?

We rethink all our workflows from the beginning to the end – from developing to packaging. By reducing waste and using natural, recycled, and certified raw materials and processes, we are well on the way but we are only at the beginning.

But every step counts and sustainability now plays a role in every decision we make. We are also working on making these steps more transparent for our business partners and consumers. It starts with the smallest measures, such as rethinking packaging by using recycled packaging or eliminating plastic where possible. Already, we are not using polybags where possible, have no more see-through windows on our boxes, offer bulk packaging in rental, and use water-based color for our design prints. The presses and cooling system of our manufacturer are solar-powered, and our wood cores are FSC certified, to name only some examples.

As part of the HEAD winter sports family, we leverage the synergies, technologies, and innovative approaches of the brand to become the technical market leader for snowboard equipment – and that also through innovative but sustainable new materials, processes, and products.

Are you using any new materials in your hardware for 24/25? If so, what and why? We’re interested in anything new in inserts / edges / cores / sidewalls / glue / resin/ wood types / base material / top sheet / etc. here.

For our all-new INCITE LYT classic camber model, we integrated triaxial glass fiber that has an additional 45° layer, offering supreme torsional properties as well as even power distribution over the entire board, resulting in a very smooth and stable ride.

Any new design or pattern approaches in your 24/25 gear? Any collabs on the line?

The interplay of matt and shiny surfaces and lines combined with perfectly matching color themes and modern graphics dominate our boards. Simple, modern, and stylish board designs stand for HEAD snowboards. We have found our direction; staying true to our DNA we will bring a balanced line to the market in season 24/25.

Are you planning to focus on a special product range or type of customers? What’s your newest range?

We are strong on entry-level price points, therefore we are placing focus on this target group and their needs to make their start of snowboarding easy and successful. For many years HEAD had the aim to push the sport in general and help beginners to have a positive first encounter with it. Suitable products are the key to supporting aspiring snowboarders on their trip from linking turns to dialing spins and helping them to progress and have fun on snow. This goes hand in hand with the next generation which is very important to us! That’s why we bring kids on snow and invest in the future of snowboarding with our Futureheads program.

But experienced snowboarders shouldn’t be left out either. We significantly increased our sales at the second price point. Traditional carving on the freshly groomed slopes and cruising in the backcountry is what people love about snowboarding, besides freestyle. That’s why we also keep focusing on the advanced segment including all-mountain boards that allow the rider both – edge hold when it’s needed or enough float and a surfy feeling when in the backcountry. We address this target group with a good mix of cruiser models and powerful and versatile all-mountain models, including our latest full-camber board addition the INCITE LYT, made for riders who demand the most as it is the ultimate snowboard for powerful carving and energized ground trickery.

What is your top product marketing story for next season?

Back2Camber – INCITE LYT

Best Sellers/Hero/Key products

The INCITE LYT

Your ultimate snowboard for powerful carving and energized ground trickery. This camber board responds to your every move with precision, while the torsional waist adds flexibility and playfulness. With its Triaxial Fiberglass construction, the INCITE LYT delivers unbeatable stability and control, making it the perfect choice for riders who demand the most.

INCITE LYT_1

ROWDY FLEX

Get ready to shred with the ROWDY FLEX, the ideal board for young riders! Its unique, recessed, flexible center and catch-free rocker make this kid’s board playful and perfect for learning to ride and mastering those first turns. Designed specifically for kids and youth, this board is built to last, with durable construction and top-quality materials that will stand up to any adventure.

ROWDY FLEX_1

EVERYTHING LYT

If you are looking for a lightweight, forgiving board that offers you control and grip, the EVERYTHING LYT is the right board for you. The construction of this women’s board has thenickname “autopilot” for a reason. It offers support and grip both on- and off-piste. Addedcontact points with the snow offer control in icy conditions. The soft flex of the board makes itplayful and easy to turn. This is also supported by the very low weight of the board’s tip andtail, requiring less effort, and also when making turns in deep snow.

EVERYTHING LYT_1